Coin changer having downwardly biased coin tube

ABSTRACT

In a coin changer having a dime-storage tube and an apertured plate reciprocable below said tube to receive a dime in its aperture and deliver the dime to a change chute, a bushing is provided around the lower end of the tube and the bushing is spring-urged down into contact with the upper surface of the apertured plate so as to restrain the dime above the dime in the aperture from movement with the plate.

United States Patent Wilson M. Stewart 110 Isabella St., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada 85 l ,930

Aug. 21, 1969 Aug. 17 197 l Inventor App]. No. Filed Patented COIN CHANGER HAVING DOWNWARDLY BIASED COIN TUBE 4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

U.S.Cl 133/5, 133/4 Int. Cl 607d 1/00 Field of Search 133/2, 4, 4 A, 5, 5 A

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,132,229 10/1930 Breitenstein 133/4 3,040,617 6/1962 Rankin 133/5 X Primary Examiner-Robert B. Reeves Assistant Examiner- David A. Scherbel Attorney- Sman & Biggar ABSTRACT: In a coin changer having a dime-storage tube and an apertured plate reciprocable below said tube to receive a dime in its aperture and deliver the dime to a change chute, a bushing is provided around the lower end of the tube and the bushing is spring-urged down into contact with the upper surface of the apertured plate so as to restrain the dime above the dime in the aperture from movement with the plate.

PATENTEU we] 7 19m 3. 599 .648

SHEET 1 [IF 2 INVENTOR WILSON. M STEWART B Y/JM ATTORNEYS PATENTEU AUG] 'HBTi 3,599,648

SHEET 2 [1F 2 INVENTOR JILSON M. STEWART BY ATiZRNEYS COIN CHANGER HAVING DOWNWARDLY BIASED COIN TUBE 1 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a coin change making device.

It is common practice to vend articles and services by machines which can remain unattended over relatively long periods of time. Such machines are usually provided with a sorting device for sorting coins inserted into the machine through a deposit slot, and with a switch means which reads the sorted coins and automatically starts the vending cycle when coins making up the price of the article or service being vended havevbeen inserted into the machine. In order to provide conveniencefor the customer and to increase sales, many vending machines are provided with a coin change making device. Such a device is designed to accept a coin of a denomination larger than the price of the article being vended, and then to vend the article and return the proper change to the customer.

A major problem has been encountered in prior coin changers which dispense dimes in changein that, because dimes are so thin, the changer may attempttodispense two dimes at a time instead of one, particularly if one of the dimes is worn, and a breakdown of the changer may result if the extra dime jams between two moving parts of the dispensing mechanism. Of course, machines could be used which dispense nickels only as change but such machines would have to be'restocked with change at more frequent intervals than is customary with machines which can also dispense dimes.

It is the primary object of the present invention therefore, to facilitate the use of coin changers which dispense dimes in change, in situations where the use of such coin changers is desirable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION hole in said bottom plate displaced from the tube, said carrier plate being of the order of thickness of a dime, at least in the region of the hole in the carrier plate, said hole being slightly greater than the size of a dime, restraining means to restrain a dime above the dime being delivered from sliding'with the carrier plate, and resilient means urging said restraining means down into firm contact with the upper face of the carrier plate.

The restraining means may be the lower end of the tube, in which case the resilient means would act upon the tube itself, but preferably the restraining means is a separate bushing which surrounds the lower end of the tube and is urged downwardly by a spring-urged lever which also surrounds the tube.

If a second tube is provided beside the dime tube, to store nickels, the dime carrier plate may form part of a composite stepped carrier plate for nickels and dimes, the part for carrying'nickels being thicker than the dime carrier part.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Ancmbodiment of the present invention in a change making device will now be described, by way of example, with reference, to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a'front elevation view partly broken away, of the lower portion of the device, showing tubes for nickels and. dimes and means for dispensing coins as change from the lower ends of said tubes; 7 FIG. 2 is a sectional view on the line A-A of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3vis a sectional view on the line 8-8 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. {is a bottom view corresponding to FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION As shown in. the drawings, the coin changer has a nickel storage tube 34 and a dime storage tube 35, the upper ends of which are received in bosses at 74 and 75 and the lower ends of which are received in apertures 194 and in a baseplate 193. In normal course of operation of the changennickels and dimes fed into the vending machine in which the fchanger is mounted will be led to the tubes 34 and 35, respectively, and the insertion of a quarter into the machine will're'sult, with the changer shown, in the dispensing as change of one nickel and one dime. In the case of a 15-cent sale machine, mechanism may be incorporated to ensure that only a dime is dispensed as change when a quarter is inserted and a nickel is dispensed when two dimes are inserted-Such mechanism could include a plate and meansfor sliding it laterally beneath baseplate 193 to block the dispensing of either a nickel or a dime at will. Unacceptable coins are led through a chute 127 for return to the user of the machine.

A bottom plate 52 is provided beneath baseplate 193 and the openings 194 and 195 in the latter are large enough to tightly receive the lower end of a nickel tube. -T he lower end of the nickel tube 34 is received in opening 194. The lower end of dime tube 35 is fitted into a bushing 196, the outer diameter of which is the size of a nickel tube and the bushing 196 is received in opening 195. The underside of baseplate 193 is provided with a recess 197' which is rectangular in cross section and passes under the openings 194 and 195. A coin carrier 200 is slidably received in the recess 197 and rests on bottom plate 52. The coin carrier 200 is provided with openings 201 and 202 which are arranged to align with the openings 194 and 195, respectively, when the carrier is in a first position shown in FIG. 2.- The opening 201 is slightly greater in diameter than the diameter of a nickel and the opening 202 is slightly greater in diameter than the diameter of a dime so that when the carrier is in its first position a nickel and dime drop into openings 201 and 202 from tubes 34 and 35, respectively. The bottom plate 52 is provided with a rectangular opening 203 which is nearly as long as the coin carrier 200 and is wider than the diameter of a nickel. A deflector plate 204 is struck downwardly from one end of the opening 203. When the coin carrier is driven-by drive means from its first position to a second position, the openings 201 and 202 move over the rectangular opening 203 so that the nickel in the opening 201 in the carrier can dropstraight down into a change chute of the vending machine. At the same time the dime in the opening 202 of the carrier drops out of the opening 202 and is deflected by deflection plate 204 into the same change chute.

The drive means for the coin carrier includes a suitable motor (not shown) of the kind normally provided in coin changers, a shaft 205 driven from the motor and extending below the bottom plate 52, a crank 206, having a crank pin 207, and a substantially boomerang-shaped link 208 pivotally connected at one end to the crank pin 207 and at its other end to a stud 209 depending from the carrier 200, whereby rotation of shaft 205 causes reciprocation of coin carrier 200, the plate 52 having a slot 210 therein to accommodate the reciprocation of stud 209.

As mentioned above, it has been found in prior machines that occasionally a breakdown occurs by virtue of the machine attempting to dispense more than one dime at a time, with the carrier plate becoming jammed as a result. To overcome that problem, the carrier plate 200 has a portion 200' approximately equal to the thickness of a nickel and a thinner portion 200" approximately equal to the thickness of a dime and the bushing 196 is pressed down upon the upper surface of the thinner portion 200" by one end of a plate 300 having an aperture 301 to receive the dime tube 35. The other end of the plate 300 is bent downwardly at 302 to engage the upper surface of the bottom portion 51 of the frame 31 of the changer andser've as a fulcrum for the plate. A spring 303 is provided between the upper surface of the plate 300 and the lower surly, tohold the spring in position. The spring, of course, is normally held in compression between the plate 300 and part 304 so that it urges the plate and hence the bushing 196 downwardly. The bushing has a sharp inner edge 307 at the bottom thereof so that even if an unusually thin dime is located in the dime aperture 202 so that a part of the next upper dime also lies within the aperture the sharp edge 307 of the bushing will engage the edge of the said upper dime and, by virtue of the downward push on the bushing, the push of the dime against bushing 196 on sliding movement of the carrier plate will not be able to raise the bushing to allow the dime to'pass thereunder. Rather, the bushing will resist any sliding movement of the dime with which it is engaged and will cause it instead to ride up in the bushing to allow the plate 200 to slide underneath to dispense the lowermost dime through opening 203. To further facilitate the sliding of the plate 200 underneath a dime which is resting on a thin dime in opening 202, the upper edge of that opening may be rounded, as at 308 machines which are adapted to receive a quarter or cent piece and dispense two dimes and one nickel as change for the quarter, the carrier plate in this case having a portion thereof with a thickness of the order of thickness of two dimes and the bushing being pressed down into contact with the plate in the region of the dime-carrying aperture. Thus, throughout the face ofa part :04 attached to the frame 31, studs s and 306 a being provided on the plate 300 and the part 304, respective present specification and claims, where I refer to the dispensing 'of one dime and to the carrier plate being of the order of thickness of a dime',I intend to cover the situation where two dimes are dispensed at once and the plate is of the order of thickness of two dimes.

What I claim as'my invention is:

1. In a coin changer in which a tube is provided to store dimes and means are provided to dispense one dime at a time from said tube, said means comprising a carrier plate, drive means for reciprocating said carrier plate beneath said tube, a bottom plate on which said carrier plate slides, said carrier plate having a'hole to receive a dime from said tube and to deliver it to a hole in-said bottom plate displaced from the tube as'thecarrier plate is reciprocated, said carrier plate being of the order of thickness of a dime, at least in the region of the hole in the carrier plate, said hole being slightly greater in size than a dime, and restraining means above the carrier plate to restrain a dime above the dime being delivered from sliding with the carrier plate, the improvement comprising resilient means urging said restraining means down into firm contact with the upper face of the carrier plate.

2. A coin changer as claimed in claim 1, in which said restraining means comprises a bushing which surrounds the 'lower end of said tube, the bushing being urged downwardly by a spring-urged plate which also surrounds the. tube.

3. A coin changer as claimed in claim 2, in which said bushing has a sharp inner edge at the bottom thereof.

4. A coin changer as claimed in claim 3, in which said hole in the carrier plate has a rounded upper edge. 

1. In a coin changer in which a tube is provided to store dimes and means are provided to dispense one dime at a time from said tube, said means comprising a carrier plate, drive means for reciprocating said carrier plate beneath said tube, a bottom plate on which said carrier plate slides, said carrier plate having a hole to receive a dime from said tube and to deliver it to a hole in said bottom plate displaced from the tube as the carrier plate is reciprocated, said carrier plate being of the order of thickness of a dime, at least in the region of the hole in the carrier plate, said hole being slightly greater in size than a dime, and restraining means above the carrier plate to restrain a dime above the dime being delivered from sliding with the carrier plate, the improvement comprising resilient means urging said restraining means down into firm contact with the upper face of the carrier plate.
 2. A coin changer as claimed in claim 1, in which said restraining means comprises a bushing which surrounds the lower end of said tube, the bushiNg being urged downwardly by a spring-urged plate which also surrounds the tube.
 3. A coin changer as claimed in claim 2, in which said bushing has a sharp inner edge at the bottom thereof.
 4. A coin changer as claimed in claim 3, in which said hole in the carrier plate has a rounded upper edge. 